Burma Point, a New York-based human rights
organization, has expressed its support for the action plan regarding Burma, recently
outlined in a Huffington Post Op-Ed article by Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta.
Burma Point communicated its view in a recent letter to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-
Moon, being the first human rights organization to voice such support.
President Ramos-Horta called upon the U.N. Security Council and countries of the world
to freeze funds and assets held abroad by those in the Burmese military junta. Ramos-
Horta further asked nations to downgrade their diplomatic relations with the country’s
officials to a minimum and offer support to any dissidents who seek asylum. Finally, the
president requested countries and supra-sovereign agencies to stand poised to assist the
Burmese people in rebuilding their country, should change arrive.
Burma Point seconded this call for bolder action. Executive Director, Moe Chan,
declared, “In the midst of ongoing civil war in upper Burma, lives of not only the ethnic nationalities but also the general population will be spared if members of the United Nations take bold action against the military junta. Member nations must not allow the junta to continue its egregious abuses of its own people. This inaction undermines the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and will forever stand as a blot on the history of
the struggle for peace and democracy.”
Zack Michaelson, a Burma Point member and Member of the Board of Directors of
Amnesty International USA, commented on the Ramos-Horta’
“The methods of the past clearly have not worked and a new balance of carrots and
sticks, as proposed by President Ramos-Horta, couldn’t hurt. But what is most insightful
is the assertion that change will come once the officer corps of the Burmese military
realizes the shame in the way they have been called upon to victimize their fellow
citizens. If outsiders can deliver that message and peacefully support those within who
embrace it, it may hasten a change for the people of Burma.”
In a show of solidarity for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the political prisoners of Burma,
Burma Point and Amnesty International USA co-sponsored a recent event in front of the
United Nations Headquarters in New York in which activists held signs, led chants,
collected signatures, and handed out information. Moe Chan and Zack Michaelson each
gave interviews to international media that covered the event.
For more information, visit Burma Point’s home page http://burmapoint.com.
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~
http://zacharymichaelson.org
